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Saturday, September 4, 2010

St. Gregory of Nyssa on Emulating the Fortuitous Birth of Moses

In the first sections of the second book of his Life of Moses, St. Gregory of Nyssa instructs that Christians are to "emulate the fortuitous birth of Moses"—but how can this be done? Is not birth outside the realm of a person’s control? In examining the manner in which St. Gregory exposes "birth" as the constant making of choices by the free human creature, we discover the rich manner in which the saint finds spiritual significance in the historical moments of Scripture.